Well, I came armed with a basic knowledge of how a meeting should go, and that was about all I had after it was over. I think. There was so much information, I didn’t even know what all in the name of Juliette Gordon Low the presenters were talking about half of the time. I asked to get a copy of the powerpoint presentations, so maybe at some point I can get an idea of what they were referring to. I felt like Andy Griffith at a football game, except there were no big orange drinks. We’re supposed to have some kind of new delegate training website up here pretty soon, so maybe that will help. I’m sure I’ll have an opinion one of these days. I guess.

So hey, what’s on my reading list you ask? Robert’s Rules of Order Newly Revised, 11th edition. Woo weee! Side note: I’m also reading Cat’s Cradle by Vonnegut, but that’s a different topic and has nothing to do with Girl Scouts. I guess. I’m serving as a service unit delegate in my council, and while reading through our by-laws and the Girl Scout constitution, I realized that I really had no idea how an official meeting is run and what all of the terms truly mean. Sure, you kind of act like you do if you have a casual meeting with any organization, but who knows this stuff? And who trudges through 716 pages of parliamentary procedure? Apparently I do. At this point, I’m about halfway through, and the meeting is tomorrow. I shoulda gotten the condensed or the Parliamentary Rules for Dummies version. Oh well. But I did find some online basics that I can at least print out. I’ve read enough to hopefully have a better understanding than I did before. Plus, we are supposed to have training in the morning for us newbies, so maybe I’m just being an overachiever. Read more »

Carne, 62, pleaded guilty to a single count of embezzlement Monday in Hanover Circuit Court and faces up to 20 years in prison when she is sentenced in July.

Carne, sitting beside defense lawyer Craig Cooley and speaking in a steady voice, calmly admitted embezzlements that totaled $22,979.80 from the 12,000-Scout strong Girl Scouts of the Commonwealth of Virginia, which covers 30 counties and six cities, including Richmond.

Was she a GS as a girl or as an adult? I’m just wondering who we’re really hiring when it comes down to it. I know there are business decisions that have to be made, but it behooves us as an organization to have people in place that have a history of Scouting and know what it’s really all about. I’m glad to see though that the GS of the Commonwealth replaced her with someone who has a background in scouting according to the article.

For dinner on our camping trip, the girls picked Tacos in a Bag. It was a big hit, and it’s perfect for a young troop because there’s really not much cooking other than the ground beef. You could even cook the meat ahead of time and just warm it up over either a fire or a propane stove. Read more »

So after finally gathering up the courage and waiting for my girls to get old enough, we took our 2nd year Brownies (and one junior) on a “dress rehearsal” camping trip this past weekend to Camp Mary Elizabeth. I call it a dress rehearsal, because not only was it most of the girls’ first time camping, it was also my first time planning one. I’ve been on many a camping trip in my life, but I never planned one before. I took Sleep Out training three years ago and a refresher course at last year’s Mountain Magic, so I was pretty excited and nervous at the same time. But if things just absolutely fall apart, we have CME’s lodge as a backup.